Joe Marconi

Women's Free Automotive Clinic Osceola Garage Osceola Garage in Carmel New York is holding a free Auto clinic for women to help take the mystery out of regular vehicle maintenance and auto tips for when unexpected car troubles happen. www.osceolagarage.com http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkAA5gmDcwI

Just some commercials that we have run...

Thanks, very helpful information. Please keep us updated on the lift issue. I hope this is an isolated incident.

Just think of our business alone: When we started in this profession we rebuilt master cylinders, wheel cylinders, calipers, starters, alternators, fuel pumps, carburetors and many other components. Today, that is a lost art.

I'm glad you mentioned the women’s clinic. In April we will give our first ever women’s clinic. Can you give me some pointers on what you did and how it went? Also, if you have an outline of the seminar I would really appreciate it. Any tips would help. (BTW: I didn’t mean to want to minimize the lift incident)

My father grew up during the great depression. He did not through anything away; if it broke he would fix it: the toaster, chairs, tables, washing machine, broken tiles in the bathroom, brick work, etc. He would always ask me to help. I guess that's how I acquired my passion to work with my hands. I agree, those days are truly gone. Today we will live in a through-away society. Strangely enough...my father predicted it.

I wouldn’t worry about the guy down the block or up the street. Concentrate on your customer base. Define the type of customer you want and market and cater to that type of customer. We all know how some shops use a low labor rate in an attempt to attract customers. It does not work in the long run. Provide the very best in customer service. Create maintenance plans that will get your customers coming back. All your marketing must be designed to get the customer to return again and again. You need to build loyalty. Once you have built trust, the labor issue will die. Be consistent and treat every customer like there are your best friend.

So, if new customers come in for nitrogen air becuase they here you have it, they get it free too? I guess is a form of marketing, but I need to think it through a little more.

It's a little scary. Will Rotary help with the costs and damages? I am going to show this to my staff and techs at tomorrows meeting. Do think a periodic inspection would have picked this up or is just a fluke failure?

From one dinosaur to another....great article! One of my fondest memories as a kid was those Saturday afternoons when all the fathers in the neighborhood would tinker with their cars. I remember all the hoods open and I would walk from car to car just to see what was going on. Back then, it seemed everyone knew a little about cars. Times have changed. I really enjoyed reading your article.

I have six Rotary lifts. Can you let me know what model this is. Did you get any feedback from Rotary? I have never heard of this before and always considered Rotary top of the line.

Let me understand this: the shop sells the nitrogen fill for "X" amount and what happens to future refills or pressure adjustsments during a routine LOF service? Is it free from then on? And, what if tire centers give it away? How will that impact smaller shops? I glad this has not hit my area yet!

I had a similar situation about a year ago. A women came in complaining of a check engine light. We pulled a code for a coolant temp problem and found that the coolant was a low. We pressure tested the cooling system and found nothing. After running the car for the day, we found nothing. The fans came on and the temperature held steady. We decided to clear the code, give the car back to her and get her back in a few days to recheck the coolant level. Three days later, the women called and said that the check engine light came back. The service advisor who took the call asked her if the temp gauge was high and also asked if the car appeared to be running ok. She said everything seemed ok and the gauge was right in the middle. He told her to please bring it back to us as soon as possible. She said she would bring in now. What we did not realize was that she was in NYC, about an hour away. Another thing we did not realize was that there was an internal problem and the coolant was very low. By the time she got it back to us, the engine was cooked. We sat down with her, the husband and the father and tried to explain, but they would not here any of it. We ended up replacing the engine at no charge. It killed me to do that. This had never happened before. The good news is that the entire family still comes to us and have since then spent thousands of dollars with us. My advice: Sit down with them in a private setting. Explain in detail all that had a happened and ask them if they have any suggestions on how to solve this. Don’t be too willing at first to give up the farm, BUT do whatever you must to protect your good name. Think long term, not short term. I know how you feel, I really do.

That could be what happened. We need to be more careful with all newer vehicles. The learning process can sometimes be costly.